Bella (2006)

A descent and artful film that has a great positive message.  Jose Alejandro Gomez Monteverde tells the story of a cook, who helps a recently fired waitress, come to terms with a difficult situation by sharing his painful past.   Grade: B

Spoiler Alert
While a solid film, I must admit it's obvious promotion of a "pro-choice" theme feels a little heavy handed.  I hate to say this is a fault because it's a good idea to promote but when an entire film hinges on the question, will she or won't she, that's not really enough drama for a movie for me.  It's also hard not to see the ending a mile away.    

The Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner (1962)

For me this is Tom Courtenay's best performance.  Of course he's great in Billy Liar made a year later but the depth of character here ,as Smith, here really resonates.  Tony Richardson directs this sort-of British version of A Rebel without a Cause.  Told in flash backs, we learn the reason why Smith was sent away from home to do time at a Prison School for Teens.  The Head Master sees that he has a real talent as a long distance runner and starts to pressure him to win a big race against a visiting school.  Yet Smith is conflicted by his desire to live life by his rules and by those rules that might lead him to respectability.   A really enjoyable film.  Grade: B+.

Effi Briest (1974)

Rainer Werner Fassbinder continues to disappoint me.  After watching Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (made the same year this was made) I really believed I had stumbled upon the next great director whose work I could start to explore and yet I am now starting to think I was wrong.  This film, based on the novel of the same name, tells the story of a spoiled girl who is married to a Baron and how she must find her own strength.  Ultimately it's a really borning movie.  It's not all bad but it's so hard to keep awake to notice the good.  She has an affair and a child.  Tragic and too long to care.   Grade: C

Friendly Persuasion (1956)

Gary Cooper is a Quaker in this drama about a family of pacifists during the American Civil War.   Yet it's more than a film about the question "to fight or not to fight" it's about a family of individuals trying to find their way under a common belief system.  I especially enjoyed the way they showed a comparison of a Quaker church service to a Baptist service.   It was a wonderful way to get into the mindset of what make these character tick.  The film has many wonderful scenes and Gary Cooper is great in it.  Grade. A-

Damn Yankees (1958)

Everything about this film is delightful.  It's one of the best musicals out there.  Ray Walston plays  the perfect Devil in this Faust inspired story about an older man, Joe Boyd, who trades his soul to the Devil so, in a younger body, he can help the Washington Senators beat those same Yankees.  Stuffed with fantastic character actors its hard to believe Tab Hunter was able to shine as much as he does as the younger version of Joe.  The real star of the film is its choreographer Bob Fosse, whose musical numbers pop off the screen with clever sizzle.  Then there's his one-time wife, Gwen Verdon who plays the devil's Seductress, Lola.  At first I thought she wasn't sexy enough.  Then she danced and sang and I realized how wrong I was.   She's a bolt of talent that you can't take your eyes off of and I'd include her number (with Bob Fosse) Who's Got the Pain as one of the best musical numbers in film musical history. Grade: A-. 

Spoiler:  There's only one reason this film doesn't get a straight A and that's its ending which is kind of anti climatic and vague.  If you know the stage show, which I do because I saw it when I was in high school, you know why the Devil is powerless to take Joe's soul and that's because of how much love his wife has for him.  In the film it's kind of implied but I would have liked just a little bit more, something besides Applegate rolling around the floor in defeat. 

On The Beach (1959)

Based on Nevil Shute's novel, Stanley Kramer directs a film about the end of the world.  Gregory Peck is Submarine Captain Dwight Towers, who discovers that Australia is the only country that's survived a devastating Nuclear world war.  An all-star cast, Kramer's speciality, including Fred Astair (in his first none musical role), Ava Gardner and a young Anthony Perkins scramble to deal with being left behind, even as it becomes clear that a radiation cloud is on its way.   It's a little long but I was delighted that such a film was even made back in the '50s.  I guess with the Cold War kicking into gear, such nightmare scenarios were all the rage.  Very romantic and broad, it's a great Hollywood treatment of an otherwise bleak topic.   Grade: B+.

Calle 54 (2000)

A great introduction to the Lain jazz scene.  At first I didn't know I'd like the music but soon I was in love with it.  I'm looking into buying a Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band album now.  The film is jammed full of great performances from the originators of the style.  Not much of a story or actual information, Fernando Trueba just lets the music carry the viewer away.  It's not much of a documentary as it is a concert film.  But remember, if you check out the DVD, to watch the B side that acts much more like a true documentary.   As a whole it's a fantastic exploration.  Grade: A-.